3 Ways To Become A Minimalist And De-Clutter Your World

Stuff. We are surrounded by it daily, and it has the power to make a person feel disorganized, under water, and depressed. Why do we continue to buy things we simply do not need? Why do our garages, and homes get so cluttered with stuff we can barely breathe and relax? There are simple ways to declutter your home, and take matters back into your own hands when it comes to regaining your peace of mind. I don’t know about you, but when I am able to fill up a donation trash bag of clothes, shoes, and coats that have not been worn I feel 100 pounds lighter! There is a lot to be said for adopting a more simplistic way of living.

How To Declutter Your Life:

1. Make Lists

The task of going through “stuff” can feel daunting, and too extreme for the small amount of free time you are given each day. Many people are so busy that they can barely take a minute to breathe, cook for their families, or simply tidy up the common area of their households. The simple task of making lists will change for life for the better. The moment you can compartmentalize your home room by room, and write out what needs to be organized, is the moment you will feel a spark of motivation to tackle your home one room at a time. When you are done cleaning out one of the rooms or areas, simply stop for the day.

2. Make a Place For Everything

Mail on the counters, crap all over the coffee table in the living room, shoes and socks strung out across your entryway, coats and backpacks hanging around the stairs waiting to get tripped on are just a few examples of our things not being in their proper place. Everything you own in your home must have a set place, and should always be put away when it is not being used. This will significantly cut down on the visual clutter throughout your home, making you feel less stressed about the mess. When analyzing your stuff and the places it all goes, get out bins and organize with three categories: Keep, Donate, and Trash. When you find excess stuff that has no home, make sure it finds its way to one of those bins.

3. Have a Heart to Heart With Your Closet

The closet can be the most cluttered and disorganized place in the house because many times clothes are kept for sentimental reasons. Anytime you buy a new shirt, pants, blouse etc. you should always adopt the rule to donate two items from your closet that have not been used in awhile. Take some time to look through your drawers and closet for clothing that has been sitting there untouched for at least 6 months, and donate it. The notion that you are holding onto old clothing with the fantasy that one day you will fit into them again is only doing you harm, not good. We are not guaranteed “someday” or “one day” rather we are only guaranteed the day we are living, and that is today. Get rid of clothes that don’t fit, are out of style, or clothes that were gifts that you never wear.

While the task of decluttering your life can seem overwhelming, when you get the ball rolling it actually becomes more fun than anything else. The more you own, the more owns you (literally) so do yourself a favor and give yourself freedom by getting rid of stuff that is just pressing you down.